Hiba (Muslim Gift)

A Man may lawfully make a gift of his property to another during his lifetime; or he
may give it away to someone after his death by will. The first is called a disposition
inter vivos; the second, a testamentary disposition. Muhammadan law permits both
kinds of transfers; but while a disposition inter vivos is unfettered as to quantum, a
testamentary disposition is limited to one-third of the net estate. Muhammadan law
allows a man to give away the whole of his property during his lifetime, but only onethird of it can be bequeathed by will."..."
Gift is a generic term that includes all transfers of property without consideration. In
India, Gift is considered equivalent to Hiba but technically, Gift has a much wider
scope than Hiba. The word Hiba literally means, the donation of a thing from which
the donee may derive a benefit. It must be immediate and complete.

Deference between '' Hiba'' and ''Gift'':

HIBA (The Mohammedan law)

GIFT (The English law)

i) As to a valid gift, under Mohammedan

law, three essentials conditions are
required: (i) declaration of gift by the
donor (ii) an acceptance of the gift,
express or implied, by or on behalf of the
donee, and (iii) delivery of possession of
the subject of gift.

i) As to rights in property, under The

English law, is classified by a division on
the basis of immoveable and moveable
property. The essential conditions of a
valid gift are (i) The absence of
consideration; (ii) the donor; (c) the
donee ;(iii) the subject-matter; (iv) the
transfer; and the acceptance

In view of section 129 of the Transfer of Property Act, it is clear that the rule of
Mahommedan Law as to gifts is not affected under the said Act. Generally, this rule of
Mohammedan law is unaffected by the provisions of sec. 123, Transfer of property
Act and, consequently, a registered instrument is not necessary to validate a gift of
immovable property.
In view of the provision under Section 129 of the Transfer of Property Act, the
provision of Section 123 of the Transfer of Property Act shall not affect the validity of
the gift under any rule of Mohammedan Law, so if an oral gift is there and the
aforesaid three requirements are fulfilled, it cannot be ignored on the ground that a gift
made by a Mohammedan is not in accordance with Section 123 of the Transfer of
Property Act but if a gift deed is executed, it is not exempt from registration in
accordance with the provision under Section 17 of the Registration Act. Section 129
of the Transfer of Property Act does not exempt the written gift deed executed by a
Mohammedan.

Registration of a gift deed cannot cure a defect, as to condition of delivery of

possession.
Mohammedan law does not dispense with the necessity for acceptance of the gift even
in cases where the donees are minors.
The fundamental rule of Mohammedan law as to gifts is that "the donor should divest
himself completely of all ownership and dominion over the subject of the gift.
Constitutional Validity of Section 129 of the Transfer of Property Act
The question of whether the first exemption was constitutionally valid in regards to
the right to equality (article 14 of the Indian Constitution) was rather rapidly solved
by the Courts, validating the disposition on the grounds of reasonable classification.
It is enough to say that it is now well settled by a series of decisions of this Court that
while Article 14 forbids class legislation, it does not forbid reasonable classification
for the purposes of legislation, and in order to pass the test of permissible
classification, two conditions must be fulfilled, namely, (1) that the classification
must be founded on an intelligible differentia which distinguishes persons or things
that are grouped together from others left out of the group and (2) that that
differentia must have a rational relation to the object sought to be achieved by the
statute in question.
The classification may be founded on different bases such as, geographical, or
according to objects or occupations and the like. The decisions of this Court further
establish that there is a presumption in favour of the constitutionality of an
enactment and the burden is upon him who attacks it to show that there has been a
clear transgression of the constitutional guarantee; that it must be presumed that the
legislature understands and correctly appreciates the needs of its own people and
that its laws are directed to problems made manifest by experience and that its
discriminations are based on adequate grounds; and further that the legislature is
free to recognise degrees of harm and may confine its restrictions to those cases
where the need is deemed to be the clearest.

It is well known that there are fundamental differences between the religion and
customs of the Mahomedans and those of others, and, therefore the rules of
Mahomedan law regarding gift are based on reasonable classification and the
provision of Section 129 of the Transfer of Property Act exempting Mahomedans
from certain provisions of that Act is not hit by Article 14 of the Constitution.

The most essential element of Hiba is the declaration, "I have given".
As per Hedaya, Hiba is defined technically as:"Unconditional transfer of existing property made immediately and without any
exchange or consideration, by one person to another and accepted by or on behalf of
the latter".
According to Fyzee, Hiba is the immediate and unqualified transfer of the corpus of
the property without any return.
Essential Elements of a Gift
Since Muslim law views the law of Gift as a part of law of contract, there must be an
offer (izab), an acceptance (qabul), and transfer (qabza).
Thus, the following are the essentials of a valid gift A declaration by the donor - There must be a clear and unambiguous intention of the
donor to make a gift.
Acceptance by the donee - A gift is void if the donee has not given his acceptance.
Legal guardian may accept on behalf of a minor.
Delivery of possession by the donor and taking of the possession by the donee. In
Muslim law the term possession means only such possession as the nature of the
subject is capable of. The donor must possess the gift.
There must be a delivery of such possession as the subject of the gift is susceptible of
what delivery the property is capable of and whether such delivery as the property is
capable of has been given would depend upon the particular facts in each case. As to
delivery of possession is concerned, irrespective of actual or constructive, the ultimate
test of the delivery of possession is to see whether the donor or donee reaps the
benefit. Thus, the real test of the delivery of possession is to see who - whether the
donor or the donee - reaps the benefits of the property. If the donor is reaping the
benefit then the delivery is not done and the gift is invalid.
The following are the conditions which must be satisfied for a valid gift.
1. Parties - There must be two parties to a gift transaction - the donor and the donee.
Conditions for Donor - (Who can give)
Must have attained the age of majority - Governed by Indian Majority Act 1875.
Must be of sound mind and have understanding of the transaction.
Must be free of any fraudulent or coercive advice as well as undue influence.

Must have ownership over the property to be transfered by way of gift.

A gift by a married woman is valid and is subjected to same legal rules and
consequences. A gift by a pardanashin woman is also valid but in case of a dispute the
burden of proof that the transaction was not conducted by coercion or undue influence
is on the donee.
Gift by a person in insolvent circumstances is valid provided that it is bona fide and
not merely intended to defraud the creditors.
Conditions for Donee (who can receive)
Any person capable of holding property, which includes a juristic person, may be the
donee of a gift. A muslim may also make a lawful gift to a non-muslim.
Donee must be in existence at the time of giving the gift. In case of a minor or lunatic,
the possession must be given to the legal guardian otherwise the gift is void.
Gift to an unborn person is void. However, gift of future usufructs to an unborn person
is valid provided that the donee is in being when the interest opens out for heirs.
2. Subject Matter of Hiba:
It must be designable under the term mal.
It must be in existence at the time when the gift is made. Thus, gift of anything that is
to be made in future is void.
Muslim law recognizes the difference between the corpus and the usufructs of a
property. Corpus, or Ayn, means the absolute right of ownership of the property which
is heritable and is unlimited in point of time, while, usufructs, or Manafi, means the
right to use and enjoy the property. It is limited and is not heritable. The gift of the
corpus of a thing is called Hiba and the gift of only the usufructs of a property is
called Areeat.
Subject of Gift - The general principle is that the subject of a gift can be

Anything over which dominion or right of property may be exercised.

Anything which may be reduced to possession.
Anything which exists either as a specific entity or as an enforceable right.
Anything which comes within the meaning of the word mal.
Gift of an indivisible property can be made to more than one persons.

3. Extent of Donors right to gift - General rule is that a donors right to gift is
unrestricted. In Ranee Khajoorunissa vs Mst Roushan Jahan, it was recognized by

the privy council that a donor may gift all or any portion of his property even if it
adversely affects the expectant heirs. However, there is one exception that the right of
gift of a person on death bed (Marz ul maut) is restricted in following ways - He
cannot gift more than one third of his property and he cannot gift it to any of his heirs.

Exceptions in delivery of possession

The following are the cases where deliver of possession by the donor to the donee is
not required 1. Gift by a father to his minor or lunatic son. In Mohd Hesabuddin vs Mohd.
Hesaruddin AIR 1984, the donee was looking after the donor, his mother
while other sons were neglecting her. The donor gifted the land to the donee
and the donee subsequently changed the name on the land records. It was held
that it was a valid gift even though there was no delivery of land.
2. When the donor and the donee reside in the same house which is to be gifted.
In such a case, departure of the donor from the house is not required.
3. Gift by husband to wife or vice versa. The delivery of possession is not
required if the donor had a real and bona fide intention of making the gift.
4. Gift by one co-sharer to other. Bona fide intention to gift is required.
5. Part delivery - Where there is evidence that some of the properties in a gift
were delivered, the delivery of the rest may be inferred.
6. Zamindari villages - Delivery is not required where the gift includes parcels of
land in zamindari if the physical possession is immpossible. Such gift may be
completed by mutation of names and transfer of rents and incomes.
7. Subject matter in occupation of tenant - If a tenant is occupying the property
the gift may be affected by change in ownership records and by a request to the
tenant to attorn the donee.
8. Incorporeal rights - The gift may be completed by any appropriate method of
transfering all the control that the nature of the gift admits from the donor to
the donee. Thus, a gift of govt. promissory note may be affected by
endorsement and delivery to the donee.
9. Where the donee is in possession - Where the donee is already in possession of
the property, delivery is not required. However, if the property is in adverse
possession of the donee, the gift is not valid unless either the donor recovers
the possession and delivers it to donee or does all that is in his power to let the
donee take the possession.
Void Gifts
The following gifts are void 1. Gifts in future - A thing that is to come into existence in future cannot be
made. Thus, a gift of a crop that will come up in future is void.

2. Contingent gift - A gift that takes affect after the happening of a contingency
is void. Thus a gift by A to B if A does not get a male heir is void.
Gift with a condition
A gift must always be unconditional. When a gift is made with a condition that
obstructs its completeness, the gift is valid but the condition becomes void. Thus, if A
gifts B his house on a condition that B will not sell it or B will sell it only to C, the
condition is void and B takes full rights of the house.

Mushaa (Hiba bil mushaa)

The word Mushaa has been derived from the Arabic word Shuyua which literally
means confusion. Under Muslim law, Mushaa signifies an undivided share in a joint
property. Mushaa is therefore, a co-owned or joint property. Mushaa means undivided
share in a property. The gift of undivided share in an indivisible property is valid
under all schools but there is no unanimity of opinion amongst different schools about
gift of undivided share in a property that is divisible. In Shafai and Ithna Asharia laws
it is valid if the donor withdraws his control over the property in favor of the donee.
But under Hanafi law, such a gift is invalid unless it is separated and delivered to the
donee.

Illustration
A, B, and C are the co-owners of a house. Since a house cannot be divided, A can give
his undivided share of the house to D in gift.
A, B, and C are the co-owners of 3 Tons of Wheat, under Shafai and Ithna Ahsharia
law, A can give his undivided share of the wheat to D if he withdraws control over it
but under Hanafi law, A cannot do so unless the wheat is divided and the A delivers
the possession of 1 ton of wheat to D.

If one of the several owners of this property makes a gift of his own share, there may
be a confusion as to which portion or part of the property is to be given to the donee In
other words, there may be a practical difficulty in the delivery of possession if gift of a
joint property is made by a donor without partition of the gifted share.
To avoid any such confusion and difficulty at the stage of delivery of possession, the
Hanafi jurists have evolved the principle of Mushaa. Where the subject-matter of a
gift is co-owned or joint property, the doctrine of Mushaa is applied for examining the
validity of the gift.
Under the Hanafi doctrine of Mushaa, gift of a share in the co-owned property is
invalid (irregular) without partition and actual delivery of that part of the property to

the donee. However, if the co-owned property is not capable of partition or division,
the doctrine of Mushaa is inapplicable. Hedaya lays down this doctrine in the
following words:
A gift of part of thing which is capable of division is not valid unless they said part
be divided off and separated from the property of the donor; but a gift of part of an
indivisible thing is valid
A Mushaa or undivided property may be of two kinds: (a) Mushaa indivisible i.e. a
property in which the partition or division is not possible and (b) Mushaa divisible i.e.
property which is capable of division. Law relating to both the kinds of Mushaa
properties is given below.
Mushaa Indivisible:
Gift of Mushaa indivisible is valid. There are certain properties which are by nature
indivisible. The physical partition or division of such properties is not practical.
Moreover, if against the nature of such properties, their partition or division is affected
at all, their identity is lost; they do not remain the same properties which they were
before the partition. For example, a bathing ghat, a stair case or a cinema house etc.
are indivisible Mushaa properties.
If, on the bank of a river or tank, there is bathing ghat which is in the co-ownership of
two or more persons, then each owner has right to deal with his share as he likes
including the right to make a gift of his share.
But, if a sharer attempts to separate his share, the utility of the ghat would be finished.
Where a stair case is co-owned by, say two persons, then each being the owner of half
of the stair-case, is entitled to make a Hiba of his share.
But, if the stair-case is divided into two parts, it would either be too narrow to be used
by any one, or the upper half may come in the share of one and the remaining lower
half in the others share. In both the cases the stair case would become useless for both
of them and also for the donee.
The doctrine of Mushaa is not applicable where the subject-matter of gift is
indivisible. According to all the schools of Muslim law, a gift of Mushaa indivisible is
valid without any partition and actual delivery of possession.
Thus, a gift of a share in the business of a Turkish-bath, or a gift of an undivided share
in the banks of a tank (or river) are valid gifts even if made without separating the
specific shares.
Mushaa-Divisible:
Under Hanafi law, gift of Mushaa-divisible property is irregular (fasid) if made
without partition. A co-owned piece of land, house or a garden, is Mushaa-divisible.
The land may be divided and the specific share may be separated by a visible mark of
identification.
Similarly, a co-owned house may be divided by a partition wall without changing its
identity. In other words, a Mushaa-divisible may be divided easily without changing
the nature and without affecting the utility of the property.
Where the subject-matter of a Hiba is Mushaa-divisible, the Hanafi doctrine of
Mushaa is applicable and the gift is not valid unless the specific share, which has been
gifted, is separated by the donor and is actually given to the donee. However, under

the Hanafi doctrine of Mushaa, the gift without partition and actual delivery of
possession is not void ab initio, it is merely irregular (fasid).
The result is that where such a gift has been made, it may be regularised by a
subsequent partition and by giving to the donee the actual possession of the specified
share of the property. It is evident, therefore, that the doctrine of Mushaa is limited,
both in its application as well as in its effects. The operation of the rule is subject to
following limitations:
i. The rule of Mushaa is not applicable where the property is indivisible.
ii. Where the property is divisible, the doctrine is applicable but only under
the Hanafi School. In other words, the doctrine of Mushaa is applicable
only where the donor is a Hanafi-Sunni.
iii. Even under the Hanafi school, if a gift is made against the rule of
Mushaa the gift is not void, it is merely irregular (Fasid).
iv. Hanafi law recognises certain exceptions to this doctrine and in those
exceptional cases the gift is valid, though made in violation of this
doctrine.
Exceptions to the Doctrine of Mushaa:
The doctrine of Mushaa is limited in its application and is subject to certain exceptions
where the doctrine is not applicable. Exceptions to the doctrine of Mushaa are given
below:
(1) Gift of Mushaa to Co-heir:
Donor and the donee are co-heirs, if they are entitled to inherit simultaneously the
properties of a person. Gift of undivided property is valid even if made without
partition where donor and donee are co-heirs. If a person dies leaving behind a son, a
daughter and the mother, then the son, daughter and mother are all co-heirs as they all
are entitled to inherit the properties of the deceased.
Thus, after the death of a Muslim male, his widow and his daughter are the co-heirs;
therefore, the widow (i.e. mother of the daughter) can make a lawful gift of her
undivided share in the lands to her daughter without separating her share physically.
In Mahomed Buksh v. Hosseini Bibi, a Hanafi woman died leaving her mother, son
and a daughter, as her only heirs.
The mother of the deceased made a gift of her share to the son, without separating her
1/6 share in the properties of the deceased. It was held by the Privy Council that the
gift of the undivided 1/6 share by grandmother to her grandson or to the
granddaughter or to both jointly, was valid even without partition.
(2) Gift of Share in Zamindari:
Where a part of the erstwhile Zamindari or Taluka was gifted away by one of its cosharers, the doctrine of Mushaa was not applicable. In the Zamindari systems, it was
possible that two or more persons were the co-sharers having their definite shares of
which they used to be respective owners.
If any of them made a gift of his share, the gift was valid without actual delivery of
possession and without physical partition of the gifted share from the rest of the
property. Similarly, a gift of Kaimi raiyati land (undivided share) was held valid
although there was no actual division of the share before the gift was made.
Note:

This exception is only of academic interest because the Zamindari system has now
been abolished in India.
(3) Gift of a Share in Landed Company:
The Hanafi doctrine of Mushaa originated with an object of avoiding confusion at the
stage of taking the possession by donee. In the landed companies or big commercial
establishments where the ownership consists of several definite shares, gift of a share
by separating the share physically from the rest, would create confusion and
inconvenience and this would be against the very purpose of this doctrine. Therefore,
in such cases, the doctrine is inapplicable.
In Ibrahim Goolam Ariffv. Saiboo, the donor owned a large number of shares in six
limited liability companies together with several pieces of freehold land and some
buildings thereon in Rangoon. He notionally divided the whole property into one
thousand shares and made a gift of 100 such shares each to four donees and also 25
such shares each to the two other donees.
The whole property could be, inconveniently though, physically partitioned from the
rest. But no such partition was made by the donor. It was held by the Court that the
gift was valid without actual division because the property was not conveniently
divisible.
The Court further observed that it would be inconsistent to apply the doctrine of
Mushaa to shares in the companies because the doctrine originated for very different
kinds of properties.
(4) Gift of Share in Freehold Property in Commercial Town:
Where a freehold landed property situates in commercial towns or in big cities, its
frequent partition is disfavoured. In big cities the houses are well planned and the
partition may require approval of a fresh map which may take considerable time.
Therefore, where a part of such property is gifted, the gift is complete without any
prior partition.
Gift of a part of a house situated in Rangoon was held valid without prior partition
because the house was situated in a large commercial town. Similarly, it has been held
that the doctrine of Mushaa has no application in commercial towns like Lahore,
Bombay or Calcutta.
Device to Overcome the Doctrine of Mushaa:
The Hanafi doctrine of Mushaa is applicable only to gifts. It is not applicable to any
other kind of transfer e.g. sale, exchange etc. We have already seen that the strict
application of the doctrine invalidates the gifts of co-owned properties and operates
disadvantageously in most of such cases. Because of this reason, the Hanafi jurists
themselves have evolved a method by which the mischief of the doctrine is avoided.
The device to overcome the doctrine of Mushaa is simple. The donor may sell the
undivided share without any prior partition and may return the consideration (price)
immediately to the donee. Legally, this transaction would be as sale in which the
doctrine is not applicable; but, in effect it would mean a gift. According to Ameer Ali:
A gift of a moiety of a house (which otherwise would be bad for Mushaa), may
validly be effected in this way the donor should sell it first at a fixed price and then
absolve the debtor of the debt, that is, the price.
Doctrine of Mushaa in the Present Society:

In the present Indian society, the doctrine of Mushaa is neither legally required nor
has any practical significance. As mentioned earlier, the doctrine of Mushaa
originated for avoiding confusion in the simple cases of gifts of small undivided
properties. In the old days, no such technical formalities were needed in making
divisions of the joint properties as are required to-day.
But, at present, instead of avoiding the confusion the application of this doctrine may
create inconvenience and complications. In the present commercially advanced
society, the Mushaa doctrine may operate as a restriction upon the right of a person to
deal with his properties.
Gifts are not trade oriented transactions; they are voluntary and gratuitous transfers.
Therefore, the gifts should be free from as much restrictions as possible. Moreover,
where a constructive delivery of possession is sufficient to complete the gift, there is
no need of making actual division; a symbolic possession by the donee of the gifted
share in property validates the gift.
In Masoom Sab v. Madan Sab, the Andhra Pradesh High Court held that a gift of
Mushaa is not invalid if the donor makes a constructive delivery of possession
therefore; there is no legal difficulty if the Mushaa doctrine is not applied to a gift of
an undivided property.
The devices to avoid the Mushaa rule have been favoured by the courts. In Sheikh
Muhammad Mumtaz v. Zubaida Jan the Privy Council too had observed that the
doctrine of Mushaa is unadaptable to progressive state of society and would be
confined within strictest limits. It is submitted, therefore, that the Hanafi doctrine of
Mushaa is neither legally necessary nor practically meaningful for the present society.
Shia Law:
Shia law does not recognise the doctrine of Mushaa. Under the Shia law, a gift of a
share of divisible joint property is valid even if made without partition.
Revocation of a Gift
Under Muslim law, all voluntary transactions are revocable and so under Hanafi law a
gift is also generally revocable, though it is held to be abominable. In Shia law, a gift
can be revoked by mere declaration while in Sunni law, it can be revoked only by the
intervention of the court of law or by the consent of the donee.
The following gifts, however, are absolutely irrevocable 1. When the donor is dead.
2. When the donee is dead.
3. When the donee is related to the donor in prohibited degrees on consanguinity.
However, in Shia law, a gift to any blood relative is irrevocable.
4. When donor and the donee stand in marital relationship. However, in Shia law,
a gift to husband by wife or vice versa is revocable.
5. When the subject of the gift has been transferred by the donee through a sale or
gift.
6. When the subject of the gift is lost or destroyed, or so changed as to lose its
identity.

7. When the subject of the gift has increased in value and the increment is
inseparable.
8. When the gift is a sadaq.
9. When anything has been accepted in return.
The gift of the corpus of a thing is called Hiba and the gift of only the usufructs of a
property is called Areeat.
Kinds of Gift:
There are several variations of Hiba. For example, Hiba bil Iwaz, Hiba ba Shart ul
Iwaz, Sadaq and Areeat.
Hiba Bil Iwaz
Hiba means gift and Iwaz means consideration. Hiba Bil Iwaz means gift for
consideration already received. It is thus a transaction made up of two mutual or
reciprocal gifts between two persons. One gift from donor to donee and one from
donee to donor. The gift and return gift are independent transactions which together
make up Hiba bil Iwaz.
In India, it was introduced as a device for effecting a gift of Mushaa in a property
capable of division. So a Hiba Bil Iwaz is a gift for consideration and in reality it is a
sale. Thus, registration of the gift is necessary and the delivery of possession is not
essential and prohibition against Mushaa does not exist. The following are requisites
of Hiba bil Iwaz 1. Actual payment of consideration on the part of the donee is necessary.
In Khajoorunissa vs Raushan Begam, held that adequacy of the consideration
is not the question. As long is the consideration is bona fide, it is valid no
matter even if it is insufficient.
2. A bona fide intention on the part of the donor to divest himself of the property
is essential.
Gift in lieu of dower debt - In Gulam Abbas vs Razia AIR 1951, All HC held that an
oral transfer of immovable property worth more than 100/- cannot be validly made by
a muslim husband to his wife by way of gift in lieu of dower debt which is also more
than 100/-. It is neither Hiba nor Hiba bil Iwaz. It is a sale and must done through a
registered instrument.
Hiba ba Shartul Iwaz
Shart means stipulation and Hiba ba Shart ul Iwaz means a gift made with a
stipulation for return. Unlike in Hiba bil Iwaz, the payment of consideration is
postponed. Since the payment of consideration is not immediate the delivery of
possession is essential. The transaction becomes final immediately upon delivery. It
has the following requisites -

1.
2.
3.
4.

Delivery of possession is necessary.

It is revocable until the Iwaz is paid.
It becomes irrevocable after the payment of Iwaz.
It is treated like a Hiba

In general, Hiba bil Iwaz and Hiba ba Shart ul Iwaz are similar in the sense that they
are both gifts for a return and the gifts must be made in compliance with all the rules
relating to simple gifts.
Differences between Hiba, Hiba bil Iwaz, and Hiba ba Shart ul Iwaz
Hiba

Hiba bil Iwaz

Ownership in property is
Ownership in property is transferred for consideration
transfered
without called iwaz. But there is no
consideration.
express agreement for a return.
Iwaz is voluntary.

Hiba ba Shart ul Iwaz

Ownership in property is
transferred for consideration
called iwaz, with an express
agreement for a return.

Delivery of possession is Delivery of possession is NOT Delivery of

essential.
essential.
essential.

possession

is

Gift of mushaa where a

Gift of mushaa even where a Gift of mushaa where a
property is divisible is
property is divisible is valid.
property is divisible is invalid.
invalid.
Barring a few exceptions
It is irrevocable.
it is revocable.
It is a pure gift.

It is revocable until the iwaz is

paid. Irrevocable after that.

It is like a contract of sale or In its inception it is a gift and it

exchange.
is treated as Hiba

It is suggested to go through the class notes also.